Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg, 45, who is professionally known as Mark Wahlberg, and Mark Edward Martinez Striegl, 28, who is professionally known as Mark Striegl, have several things in common aside from their uncanny resemblance. The former is an Academy Award-nominated actor while the latter is one of the best Asian mixed martial artists of his generation.
1. They have the same first name.
The first obvious common thing between Wahlberg and Striegl is their first name. They both use only their first given name and their family name professionally although the latter is also known as Mugen, his nickname as
an MMA fighter.
2. They have the same birth month.
Wahlberg was born on June 5, 1971 in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Striegl was born on June 23, 1988 in Tokyo, Japan.
3. They are both mixed.
Wahlberg’s father is of Swedish and Irish descent while his mother is of Irish, English, French and Canadian descent. Striegl’s American father is of German ancestry while his mother is pure Filipino.
4. Their careers took off in their early 20s.
Wahlberg made his small screen debut in 1993 and debut on the big screen in 1994. Striegl made his professional MMA debut on July 25, 2009.
Striegl was 21 when he defeated Andy Jewett via rear-naked choke submission at “Total Combat 34” in San Diego, California. Since 2009, the Filipino-American fighter has fought 17 MMA bouts and won 15 of them.
On Sept.
14, 2013, South Korean fighter Jang Yong Kim gave Striegl his first MMA loss. Their match took place at “PXC 39” in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, Philippines.On Dec. 11, 2015, Striegl had his second and most recent MMA loss. Reece McLaren defeated um at “ONE Championship: Spirit of Champions” via rear-naked choke submission in Manila.
Two days before Wahlberg turned 23, his first film “Renaissance Man” hit theaters. Eighteen days before he turns 46, Michael Bay’s “Transformers: The Last Knight” will be released.
Wahlberg will play Cade Yeager in “Transformers: The Last Knight.” Among his co-stars are Gemma Chan as Quintessa, Ken Watanabe as Drift, Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce, Anthony Hopkins as Sir Edmund Burton and Josh Duhamel as Lt. Colonel William Lennox.
5. They look up to their big brothers.
Before becoming a professional MMA fighter, Striegl competed in taekwokdo and wrestling following his older brother’s footsteps. Similarly, Wahlberg followed the footsteps of his actor-singer big brother Donnie Wahlberg, the founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block.
